Butler and Warren counties have strong ties to the Underground Railroad

Sep. 4—Abdul Shakur Ahmad, whose mother Imogene Martin was a Middletown elementary teacher, understands the importance of education.

So as Ohio's first International Underground Railroad Month kicked off in September, Ahmad, formerly Ricky Martin, believes now is an appropriate time to discuss the role Butler and Warren county communities played in safely transporting enslaved people to freedom.

With the signing of Ohio HB 340 in June, Ohio became the 12th state to designate September International Underground Railroad Month.

Through extensive research, Ahmad has learned that freedom-seekers crossed the Ohio River into the free state of Ohio. Abolitionists and communities along the Great Miami River and Miami-Erie Canal helped them escape by providing food and shelter and keeping them away from the bounty hunters seeking cash for the enslaved people, whom Ahmad called "very lucrative property."

Woodrow Keown Jr., president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, said the Underground Railroad was the nation's "first large-scale social justice movement, and its lessons endure as we continue this journey for justice."

Ahmad said too many people don't know, or refuse to acknowledge, the connection between the Underground Railroad and the local communities, though some have historical markers. In 2012, Sam Ashworth, a Middletown historian, and Ahmad collaborated on a one-hour documentary called, "Long Path to Freedom."

The Underground Railroad, a carefully planned escape route for enslaved people to Canada, included houses called stations, and those who assisted in their escape were called conductors.

It's estimated that more than 100,000 slaves used the Underground Railroad, including 40,000 who passed through Ohio.

The Underground Railroad routes through Butler County included Cleves to Hamilton, north to Darrtown, west to Oxford; Hamilton to West Elkton; and through Middletown on the Miami-Erie Canal.

Last week, Ahmad sat on a concrete bench at Governor's Square in downtown Middletown, near where Dr. Andrew Campbell and his wife, Laura, owned a large home that was a safe haven to slaves. He said the "key players" in Middletown were all abolitionists.

If there were a way to turn back the clock, what would be his message to the abolitionists?

"Thank you," he said. "They helped some people get away from that madness. They put their lives on the line."

The Underground Railroad is "white history" because the abolitionists were white, said Ahmad, who once served as assistant director of the Community Center in Middletown.

"Truth," he said when asked the importance of education. "Just the truth. Understanding we all are one creation, one people. Before evil manifested we helped each other. It wasn't about the color of peoples' skin."

Ahmad certainly understands the conflict one's skin color can cause. When he attended Middletown High School, where he graduated in 1972, there were two riots every year: when Black students escorted white females during Homecoming week and Black History Month.

"We need to take those lessons and learn from those mistakes," he said.

He sounded more and more like the son of an educator.